A New Day
by Phantastic M
Summary: AU. People change, and Christine learns this the hard way. Will Erik be able to save her before it's too late?
1. Prologue

**AN: Hello, my lovelies! I finally settled on an idea I liked for my first story. I hope you all like it.**

** For this one, I decided to create an alternate universe and make Raoul the villain. I never liked him, anyway. You're not going to find any of that "Anywhere you go let me go too…" sentiment from him in this story. Sorry x)**

**Reviews are very appreciated and wanted. :)**

**Enjoy.**

_"Hold on for just a little longer, my love. I will come for you... I promise you that."_

_ "I promise..."_

Christine awoke with a gasp, bolting upright in her four-poster bed. The sheets were damp from her sweating, and her heart was pounding in her chest. It was that same dream again…

She had been having the same dream every night for two weeks now; it never failed. It was always the same thing, the last time she saw her precious angel before he seemingly vanished from her life. It was after ballet practice, back when he used to visit her every day. He had been the one light in her otherwise dark reality, her savior, her angel. With a caress of her cheek, he had vowed to save her from her life's evil grasp. He had lightly kissed her on the forehead before disappearing within the shadows of the opera house.

But where was he now? It has been almost two weeks, and Christine had not heard even a whisper from him. Every day that went by, she waited for him to come to her again, but he never did. Every time she became more discouraged.

_No, _she silently told herself. _He promised he would come back for me._

_But what if he had been lying, _another voice in her head countered. _What if he thought this was all too much of a hassle? _Christine tried shaking her head from this thought. She didn't want to believe this, but there was some logic behind it. He went from seeing her every day to not seeing her at all. Why would he do something like that? Just the thought of it struck a painful chord in her heart, causing her eyes to swell with tears.

With a small sob, she held her head in her hands and gave way to the pain she had been holding within her soul these past weeks.

**I know it's short, but it's just a little taste of what's to come. :) **

**Reviews, Ps&Qs :)**


	2. Chapter 1

**I am back, my darlings! I apologize for the long wait. So much has been going on, and for awhile I didn't know where I wanted to take the story. But I have a good feeling of where this is headed now, and I think you're going to like it. :) Enjoy.**

~M~

"Christine, you were wonderful!" Meg Giry exclaimed, hugging her best friend. "Your voice was so beautiful! God has truly blessed you with a wonderful gift."

Christine gave her friend a warm smile and a delighted laugh, her head and heart still thrumming from the excitement of her performance. She had just finished singing for the first time in front of an audience in the opera, and the rush she had experienced was unlike any other. At first she had been so frightened, and for a while she had let doubt set in her mind. But the thought of her beloved father watching her up above cleared her head and gave her the courage she needed. With a head held high she had stepped on stage, losing herself in her character and letting her voice ring to the heavens.

What she did not expect was the passionate response she received from the audience. They had adored her, and Christine could still hear the standing ovations and the demands for an encore even after she had left the stage. Carlotta of course was not amused, her evil eyes boring into the back of Christine's skull from across the room. But that was to be expected from an over-spoiled, snobbish diva that had been replaced. Christine was not going to let her ruin this moment, the moment where her greatest dreams had finally come true.

Christine was soon pulled out of her silent reverie with a tug on her sleeve from Meg, who was trying to escort her back to her dressing room. But that was proving to be difficult, considering backstage was pure pandemonium. It was bustling with people removing costumes, washing off makeup and gossiping about anything and everything that had happened during the performance. Christine could have sworn she heard her name mentioned a few times, which was quite surprising, considering that until recently she had just been a simple ballet rat whom no one had known. She stopped in her tracks and swept her gaze over to the other dancers in the corner and remembered sitting along with them, taking off ballet slippers and rubbing her aching feet. The thought ran an unpleasant shiver up her spine. Casting a glance at Meg, she allowed herself to be dragged onward to their destination.

Soon again, though, Christine stopped, receiving an annoyed sigh from her friend.

"What is it now, Christine?" Meg huffed, pointing towards the direction they were headed. "We need to get you out of your costume."

Christine did not acknowledge Meg, for her attention was focused a person standing a fair distance away from her. He was leaning against a wooden beam, deep into a conversation with Firmin and Andre, the opera house managers. He seemed to exude an air of confidence, which reminded her of…

"No, it couldn't be…" she said aloud, gently wrenching her arm out of Meg's grasp and walking towards the direction of the mysterious man.

"Christine? What are you talking about?" Meg asked, trailing after her friend.

Christine pushed through the crowd in her way, trying to get through. To her surprise, the man caught sight of her and started walking towards her, ending his conversation with the managers abruptly. He took a few steps before stopping in front of her, a toothy grin flashing across his features. The moment he placed her hand in his was when she finally remembered who he was.

"Raoul!" she exclaimed, giving him a look of genuine surprise.

Raoul gave a small chuckle. "Christine, it has been too long." He spoke without a shred of surprise, almost as if he had been waiting for her.

But Christine was at a loss for words. She had not seen Raoul since they were children when they played together at his father's lake house. She remembered it like it were yesterday, laughing along with his rebellious antics and listening to his stories. He would call her his Little Lotte... But that was years ago, and Raoul was anything but a child now.

Christine once again pulled herself out of her thoughts and opened her mouth to speak. "Indeed it has. We haven't seen each other since we were children! How has life treated you?"

"It has been good to me," he replied. "And it seems it has been fair to you as well." Raoul took in her appearance, boldly sweeping his gaze up and down her body. Christine felt an uncomfortable pang in her stomach when she noticed this, but ignored it.

"I would love to stay and converse, Raoul, but I'm afraid I must change out of my costume and get some sleep. It has been a long night, but it was wonderful to see you again," she said, turning to leave.

Raoul grasped her hand, quite hard, before she could step away.

"Wait!" he shouted. Then, clearing his throat, he collected himself and continued. "I mean, I would like to see you again. We have so much to catch up on, and I would love to reminisce about our childhood days together." He smiled, "Would you care to have lunch with me tomorrow?"

"Oh," Christine started. "Um… that would be wonderful."

"Great!" Raoul beamed. "I will arrive to pick you up at noon. Be ready." With a charming smile, he took her hand and kissed it. "Until then, Little Lotte." And with that, he turned on his heel and walked away with a slight arrogance in his step.

Christine jumped when Meg grabbed her arm, forgetting that she was there.

"Oh my goodness Christine, you have a date tomorrow!" Meg squealed.

Christine blinked. "A date? Oh, I don't think so. It's just two childhood friends catching up on each other's lives. Nothing more."

Meg rolled her eyes and continued walking towards Christine's dressing room. "Oh come on, Christine! Did you see how he smiled at you? And kissed your hand? You may not believe it is a date, but I am sure he does."

Christine was taken aback at this idea. She had never considered Raoul as anything more than a friend. But now that Meg had mentioned it, it seemed very possible that Raoul had wished to see her in that way. But how did she feel about this?

"Oh Meg, I am not sure. I don't know if I wish to see Raoul in this way."

"Just go out to lunch with him, and see how you feel afterwards," Meg assured her friend. "But just look at him! He's handsome, charming, and by the way he dresses, appears to have money. You never know, he just might sweep you off your feet," she finished with a giggle.

That's true, Christine thought, although this did nothing to help sway her thoughts of him. But she was going to take Meg's advice and see if her opinion changed after tomorrow. But for some reason, somewhere deep inside of her, she had a feeling it wasn't going to.

**As always, I would love to see your reviews!**


	3. Chapter 2

**I'm back! :D I'm sorry for the long wait. I was really busy for a time, then my laptop broke, and then I just got lazy... I should be able to post chapters more frequently now. But enough of this nonsense! Let's get on to the reason you're here... Enjoy.**

The moment Christine heard the unmistakable click of her dressing room door locking, she let out a sigh of relief, allowing herself to relax for the first time that night. It had been a fantasy, a pure dream come to life to have the opportunity she had been given, to sing on the stage like her Papa always said she would. But she had to confess, the frantic preparations, the nerve-wracking performance, all the congratulators and admirers that weilded flowers and gifts scrambling to meet her afterwards, and finally the shock of seeing Raoul after so long had all taken it's toll on her.

Before she could enjoy a peaceful moment though, Meg had joined her for a while to continue gushing about her performance and her encounter with the Viscount. Christine felt honored for the compliments, but she wished Meg would stop all this nonsense about "fate working its magic."

"It's just like a fairy tale!" She had said. "Childhood friends meeting once again after so long, then falling in love!"

"Falling in love?" Christine had chimed in incredulously. "Meg, it's just lunch! I believe you're getting a bit ahead of yourself."

This continued on for awhile longer. Christine was a little more than relieved when her friend had claimed fatigue and exited to the dancer's bedchambers. Although she loved Meg dearly, it was blissful to have a moment's peace for herself.

Even if it was only for a moment.

As soon as she turned away from her door, a singing voice gently filled the room and her ears.

"Brava, brava, bravissima..."

Christine closed her eyes and smiled as the smooth, velvet voice filled her with peace and contentment, as it always did. She had known he would visit her tonight. He did every night. When she was a little girl she would travel down to the opera's chapel to send a silent prayer to her Mama and Papa in heaven, her heart heavy with despair and loneliness. Ever since she was a young child and first made the trip to the small and empty sanctuary, he had been there. He had claimed to be sent down from God to help ease the pain in her heart, and to guide her through life's hard journey.

It wasn't until he heard her sing a soft hymn one night that he became her teacher. He had told her that her voice was a beautiful treasure, one that should be nutured and cherished and that he would help her to one day live out her dream of being an opera singer. From then on he visited her every night, giving her music lessons, as well as playing the role of guide and guardian.

Her angel of music knew her better than anyone else; he knew all of her secrets, fears, and aspirations. He had helped her to heal over the loss of her family, and showed her that she was not as alone in this world as she had felt. She thanked God everyday for blessing her with this wonderful gift, her Angel of Music.

Christine stepped over to her chaise lounge and took a seat, anxious to once again speak with her teacher. She lifted her gaze to the ceiling, although she knew she wouldn't see him. The only evidence of his existence was his heavenly voice.

"Christine," he said gently. "You were fantastic. Your voice was like the clearest-cut diamond, crystalline and perfect. Everyone else noticed it's angelic beauty as well. I am very proud."

A blush spread across Christine's features as she lowered her gaze, smiling shyly. She lifted her face back up to the ceiling. "And my Papa - do you think he liked it as well?"

"He is smiling down upon you from the heavens as we speak."

Christine's grinned from ear to ear as a small tear rolled down her face. "I am glad he enjoyed it. I aim to please him... and you, mon ange."

"You have pleased me, and continue to do so. A beautiful voice like yours begins with a beautiful heart, which you certainly possess."

She felt her heart fill with warmth to hear such praise from him. Even after all this time, she was at a loss as to how she became so blessed to have her angelic teacher in her life. She only hoped he would never leave her. She would do everything in her power to please him, so long as he stayed with her.

"Please, you give me too much credit, _mon professeur_."

"Nonsense! I am an angel; I am never wrong."

There was a small pause before her teacher spoke again. " I noticed you stopped to talk to a gentleman before coming to your room."

Christine was slightly startled at the change of subject. "You saw that?"

"You know that I see everything, Christine."

She silently chastized herself for her lapse of thought before explaining herself. "His name is Raoul, one of my dearest childhood friends. I haven't seen him in years. It came as quite a surprise when he congratulated me and asked me out to lunch tomorrow."

The angel's voice became firm and slightly stern. "Now, Christine. You know you cannot be fraternizing with suitors who wish to court you. If you are to become the shining star of the opera, you must focus on your work, and solely on your work. Or would you prefer that everything we've worked for to go to waste?"

"No, not at all!" Christine quickly assured in a panic. "I would never do anything to jeopardize that! I do not see Raoul as a suitor. He is merely a friend, and we're meeting for lunch tomorrow only to catch up on each other's lives." She took a breath before continuing. "Please _mon_ _ange_, I didn't mean to disappoint you. Don't be upset with me, please."

"It's all right Christine," her teacher said softly. "I forgive you. But I only ask that you be careful. I've seen the way he looked at you. While you wish to remain friends, he wishes for more."

Christine shook her head. "I will never see Raoul in that way, you have nothing to fear."

"Good," he said. "Now, it is late. Go on and get some rest. Our lessons will continue tomorrow evening."

A look of disappointment crossed Christine's face, but she quickly shook it away. "Very well." As she stood up and made her way for the door, she stopped and turned around. "Angel?"

"Yes, Christine?"

She smiled before continuing. "I am looking forward to talking to you tomorrow."

And with that, Christine exited the room, softly closing the door behind her.

**For anyone who doesn't know '****_mon ange_****' is 'my angel', and '****_mon professeur_****' is 'my teacher', both in French. Please review!**


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